2016-09-07
In the lead up to tomorrow's R U OK Day Australian Greens Mental Health spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert is urging the community to ask their friends, families and colleagues ‘are you okay?’
“On R U OK? Day, we should ask our loved ones and colleagues if they are okay and be prepared and supportive if the person they ask says no, or struggles to answer. This is a very important question, it’s important we reach out and help those who aren't OK.
“For Senators and MPs, we can also advocate for a better approach to reducing suicide on behalf of our constituencies.
“Next week I have a motion in the Senate recognising R U OK? Day acknowledging that suicide statistics are at their highest in a decade, with more than two thousand deaths from intentional self-harm in 2014.
“We can all make this day an opportunity to reduce mental ill health stigma and check in on one another”.